That One Time When the Demons Weren't the Only Ones Running
by sara-fey-26
Summary: This is a post Avengers story of what happened when Loki failed to get the Tesseract. He wouldn't have survived long enough to warn SHIELD or Asgard if it weren't for a college student named Sara.
1. Chapter 1

It was a sunny day in Central Park. I tried to get out there every weekend and read a book. I never got enough sun, being a college student. I was always studying or writing.

I was used to it being loud, seeing as this was New York City, so I almost didn't look up when I heard shouting. This was different, though. It was more frantic. When I looked up, I saw why. There was a man with dark hair and strange clothes collapsed on the ground a few feet in front of me. I hadn't seen him walk there.

"How? He just appeared out of nowhere!" A woman nearby was shouting.

"Ma'am, calm down," I gestured for her to be quiet and rolled the man over. He was covered in blood. The woman grabbed my wrist and tried to pull me away.

"Don't you recognize him?! He's that man, that alien, that just attacked us! Get away from him!"

"He's hurt!" I pulled my arm away when she didn't let go. "I don't care who he is! He's almost dead!"

The woman took off, casting terrified glances back at him. The dark haired man stirred as I knelt beside him, about to take his pulse. "Okay, I'm taking you to a hospital." I pulled one of his arms around my shoulders as gently as I could, and got the rest of him on the shoulders. He felt far too light.

"No, no hospital," he murmured, barely audible.

"You need help. I don't want to state the obvious, but you're hurt bad."

"They will find me there. Please."

I glanced back at him. It was easy enough, trekking through the now cleared park. I knew I wouldn't trip. "Who will find you?" His eyes were finally open, and I could see they were a bright jade green. They closed and he shook his head as I asked. "Fine then, no hospital"

I changed course and made my way to my apartment instead of the hospital. He was lucky I could be a klutz and kept a huge first aid kit in there.

I laid him on the small sofa as fast and gentle as I could. If I had to hold him much longer, I think I would have dropped him and/or collapsed myself. He was much paler than he was in the park and his face was in a grimace.

I dug the first aid kit out, grabbed a hand towel, and filled a large bowl with warm water before I tried to see his injuries. The problem was, I couldn't figure out how to take off his clothes. They seemed to be a form of armor. "Awkward question, but how do you take off your clothes? I need to see where the blood is coming from."

The effort he needed just to point to what comes off first was immense. I didn't' ask him anything else after that. It could have killed him. I pulled off the pieces he pointed to, leaving nothing but a black T-shirt made from a soft material and black leather pants. I left the armor in a pile on the floor.

His shirt was completely soaked through with blood. He should've been dead from how much he lost. I cut the shirt off and washed his chest and stomach. The poor guy was covered with gashes and bruises. I ran for a bigger clean towel and pressed it to him, trying to stop the bleeding.

It took forever, but the blood finally stopped seeping through. I cleaned the gashes and taped tons of gauze to his torso before laying a blanket over him.

"Are your legs injured?" I didn't want to take his pants off if I didn't have to. This was awkward enough already. All I got was a groan in response. "Yes or no?"

"No," he ground out through gritted teeth.

"Okay, good. I'll be right back." I bent down to gather everything up, but was stopped by a strong grip on my arm.

"Where are you going?" His green eyes showed a new clarity that was quickly fading.

"I'm going to put this stuff away. Oh, crap. Is your back injured?"

"Old wounds nearly healed."

"Okay, I can take a look at those later. Do you want anything to drink?"

"Water would be lovely." The grip fell from my arm and his eyes closed once more.

I nodded, even though he couldn't see it. As I was about ot leave the room I asked, "What's your name, anyway?"

"Loki."

AN: This is my first fanfiction. I promise that if you thought this was kinda boring, it gets way more exicting later on. Like within the next two chapters later on. Reviews would be welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

_Knock, knock, knock._

_Shit._ I scrambled to hide the armor. "Turn over so you're facing the couch. If anyone asks, you're my cousin and you drove all night to visit me." I got a grunt in response as he complied.

"Hello?" I said as I opened the door to two tall men in suits. The taller one had great hair and the other one looked like a male model. "Sorry, I was in the other room. Can I help you?"

The taller of the two opened a badge and said, "FBI. Can we come in?"

"Of course, just try to be quiet. My cousin is exhausted. Do you want anything to drink? Water, coffee?" Keeping them out of the same room as the man who just attacked the city seemed pretty essential.

"No thank you, miss," the shorter of the two said.

"Okay. So, what can I do for you?"

The taller of the two spoke first. "I'm going to put this bluntly. We were informed that the man who attacked the city was seen, and that he was being led away by a young woman of your description."

"Seriously?" I raised my eyebrows and crossed my arms. "You expect me to believe that guy is actually back? I thought that," I snapped my fingers trying to think of the name of the agency I heard of, "SHIELD agency or something."

"I'm afraid not."

"You mean that guy is loose?!" I let my voice go up an octave and made myself look freaked out.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"What's your cousin's name?" the other asked, emphasizing the word "cousin", like he knew we weren't related.

"Tom," I answered immediately, spouting the first name that came to mind. He hid his surprise well, but I could tell that he was expecting me to flounder for a name.

"Would you mind if we asked him a few questions?" He knew the answer to that one.

"Yes, I would. He's been up all night driving over here. He finally got a break from work, and we haven't been able to see each other for a really long time."

"I'm afraid we have to talk to him."

"Tom, you up for a conversation yet?" A sound that was like growling came from the couch. "I think that is your answer, agents." _Why can't they just leave? They are not taking him._

"Come on, Tom. Look alive. Use your words," the shorter one egged him on. Loki growled again. _Please don't turn, please don't turn, please don't turn._ Loki's shoulders tensed, but he made no other move. "Waky, waky." He went to shake Loki, and I grabbed his arm to pull him away.

"What is wrong with you?" I pulled him back towards the other agent and the door. "Don't you dare touch him!" The taller agent glanced back at Loki and his eyes widened in surprise. I turned and saw that Loki had tried to see what was going on and flopped over completely. I started backing towards him, thinking I might be able to protect him somewhat.

The shorter one pulled a gun and I stumbled back, shrieking as I fell, real fear on my face. A shot fired in the next second and then Loki was standing in front of me. His face was determined and he looked powerful, like a god. Bruises and lashes from a whip streaked his back. They were scabbed over and nearly healed. The air in front of us was glowing blue, and the bullet was floating in it.

The blue faded and Loki collapsed. I tried to get up to catch him, but ended up falling again under his weight. I couldn't move as he pointed the gun at us. I could barely breathe. _Why is this happening to _me_? What have I gotten myself into?_

"Move," he growled at me. I was frozen except for the tremors wracking my body. "I don't want to shoot you, but I will if it means getting rid of him."

"Dean!" The taller one finally decided to react, tugging his partner back. "Since when do you kill normal people?"

"Since they started helping the dicks we go after," he gestured with an arm at us and I flinched.

"You're not real FBI," I whispered in shock. My eyes drifted to the gun. "That's not even a standard issue. Who are you?!"

The two men looked at each other and said at the same time, "Shit."

AN: Any guesses on who the FBI are? Now the crossover comes into affect(effect? I never know which one to use.) Reviews are welcome.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The shorter one, Dean, became flustered. "Maybe not, but unless you move, I will kill you both."

Loki stirred into consciousness to see a gun pointed at his face.

"Put that thing away, before someone gets hurt." Loki raised his hand, concentrating, his forehead collecting sweat. The air shimmered slightly before he screamed and convulsed. The look on his face was pure pain. When he relaxed again, he was panting and shaking.

"What did you do to him?" I looked up to Dean, my eyes wide. "What did you do?!"

"Hey, I didn't touch the guy!"

"Really, Dean, you're arguing with a kid?" the taller one said disdainfully.

"I'm not arguing, Sam, I'm defending myself. There's a difference."

I stopped their bickering with a comment, "One, I'm _not_ a kid. Two, if you aren't FBI, who are you, and why shouldn't I be calling the police?"

"Really? You have the guy that freaking attacked the city in here, and you want the police to come and meet him?" Dean raised his eyebrows at me while his partner, Sam, stepped forward.

"Stay back." My eyes raked him for a gun, but couldn't find one.

"I just want to help," Sam said calmly, raising his hands to show he was unarmed.

"You will not be able to help me," Loki ground out. "I must recover on my own."

I finally managed to sit up, cradling him and keeping an eye on the bandages, checking for any blood seeping through. "If you have to recover on your own, stop straining yourself," I said quietly. I was grateful for him protecting me, but he didn't need to hurt himself.

"What are you doing back on Earth?" Dean asked forcefully.

"How should I know? You honestly think I would want to show up here, of all places, like this?" Loki gestured to his weak, emaciated form.

"And you honestly expect me to believe that you didn't brink yourself here, Loki?" Loki's eyes widened the slightest bit in surprise. "You see, I've done my research. I know exactly who you are and I know exactly how to kill you."

"Then kill me. I would gladly welcome it," Loki laughed weakly. Dean was taken aback and we all looked at him in surprise.

Sam and Dean looked at each other and Dean said, "Well, why not answer the guy's wish? Move." Dena looked at me again.

"I'm not letting you kill him," I said stubbornly, twisting my body so that I was blocking Loki.

"Sam."

Strong hands grabbed my arms, pulling them behind my back and me away from Loki. "No! Let me go!" I shrieked. I tried kicking back and pulling and twisting, but all to no avail.

Loki was left lying on his back, eyes closed, face pale, waiting for the shot.

"LOKI!" The shout came from outside the door, or where the door used to be anyway. I recognized the giant of a man standing there as being Thor from the Avengers immediately.

"Your impeccable timing is most welcome, Thor," Loki smirked, not opening his eyes.

Dean had spun around the instant the door had flown across the room, gun still at the ready. Sam practically flew to his side, shoving his arm down and saying in a loud whisper, "Dude's an Avenger. Do. Not. Shoot him."

Thor's eyes widened as he took in Loki's weakened state.

"Brother," Loki's eyes snapped open at the word, "who has done this to you?"

Loki stared at Thor with the question, "Who do you think?" written all over his face.

Thor nodded in understanding. "We had suspected, but we could not find out for sure. How did you escape?"

"I didn't," Loki stated flatly.

Thor's face paled and his mouth opened slightly.

"Um, can I have, well, _me_ back?" I took the pause in the conversation to try to release myself. I could be too curious for my own good.

"Sorry." The utter embarrassment on Sam's face showed he hadn't realized he brought me with him.

I looked back and forth between the four men in my living room. "Can someone please tell me what is going on? And did you say brother?"

AN: Sorry for the short chapter. I'll make up for it next week. Reviews please.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Are you the one that tended his wounds?" Thor asked, glancing around the room like he was just noticing where he was.

"Yes, but-" I started.

"Then I thank you for helping my brother, but I must return with him to Asgard." Thor started to lift Loki up, and I darted forward to stop him.

"Isn't Asgard another planet?"

"Another realm, yes."

"Loki can barely stand. You think he's fit to travel to another realm, or whatever it is?"

"Are you truly this weakened, Loki?" Thor looked down at his brother.

"There is a reason I am on the floor, Thor," Loki answered disdainfully.

"Why must you keep getting yourself into trouble?" Thor grumbled.

"I did not get myself into trouble, Thor," Loki spat, suddenly angry. "_You_ allowed me to be taken."

"How were we to know they could get to Asgard?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because I told you they could!"

"If you hadn't associated yourself with them, we could have trusted you!"

"What choice did I have? It was lead them or die!"

"None of this would have happened if you hadn't been so stubborn and let go on the Bifrost!"

"Woah, woah. Maybe we should all take a deep breath and relax," Dean tried to stop their shouting match.

"Stay out of this, mortal!" Thor spun on Dean, poking him in the chest and knocking him back.

Sam rushed to Dean and I screamed, "Stop! All of you! Just stop and shut up!" All of them were looking at me. "Enough with the fighting. This is my house, and unless you can be civilized, all of you will _get out_."

Thor was the first to speak. "I apologize, miss. I lost control of my temper."

I nodded in acknowledgement and looked towards Sam and Dean expectantly.

"Right, sorry."

"Sorry."

"Thank you. Now," I spun to face Loki, "let's get you back on the couch. The ground can't be that comfortable." After getting him back on the couch, I said, "We all need to have a nice, long talk. Is anyone going to want some coffee?"

We were all seated in a circle some time later with mugs of coffee in our hands: Loki and me on the couch, Sam and Dean in folding chairs, and Thor on the wheelie chair from the desk.

"Let me try to synopsis this. You two are hunters," I pointed to Sam and Dean, "that hunt supernatural creatures and basically save the world from apocalypses without anyone noticing." They nodded in agreement. "You were kidnapped after returning to Asgard by those Chitauri things," I pointed to Loki. "And you tracked Loki's magic after Heimdall could see him again and told you his approximate location." Thor and Loki nodded. "So I have two Norse gods, and two hunters wanted for murder and other things in my living room with the door no longer attached to the doorway. Great."

"I am sorry about your door," Thor said sheepishly.

"Can you try to fix it? I'm surprised no one's come up with all the noise we've been making." I glanced at the doorway as if someone was about to walk in.

"Well, people generally don't follow FBI around, especially when they hear a gun go off," Sam said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Not everyone deals with this sort of thing on a daily basis." I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Point taken."

"So, where does this leave us?" Loki asked. "I am not strong enough to go back to Asgard, you two want me dead, and you have been kind enough to help me instead of turning me in like any sane person would do."

"What can I say?" I smiled at him. "I'm too curious for my own good."

Thor and Dean started laughing, looked at each other in surprise, and laughed some more. Sam and Loki were smirking like they knew exactly what was going on.

"I feel like I'm the only one out of the loop here," I laughed nervously. I hated it when people started laughing when I couldn't figure out why.

"Well, I don't know about him," Dean chuckled, throwing a thumb at Thor, "but that sounds like Sammy."

"Dean," Sam facepalmed, "it's _Sam_."

"Ah, stop being whiny."

"Jerk."

"Bitch."

The three of us cracked up at their bantering and Loki leaned down to say over the others, "Thor was laughing because I can be too curious as well. There seem to be quite a few similarities in this room."

"I'd have to agree with that," I laughed. "So, about my door. I really do need that fixed."

"Of course." Thor retrieved the door, still chuckling, and placed it where it used to stand. "You will have to lift it a little in order for it to open. Be careful that it does not fall."

"Thanks. This should work until I can get it fixed properly. And Loki asked a good question before. Where does this leave us?"

"Since you're not planning on hurting anyone, and you're leaving the moment you're strong enough, I guess we don't have to kill you," Dean said jokingly with an underlying threat.

Sam sighed as he rose with his brother. "If you ever run into anything this kind of weird, call us." He handed me a slip of paper with a phone number on it. "There's other stuff out there, and once you know, you tend to see more. By the way, what's your name?"

"Sara, and thank you." Sam and Dean left the room, carefully handling the door. I turned back to Thor and Loki. "What about you guys? Where will you stay? I mean, we could try to make something work out here, but I'm not sure how long that can last."

"You will not be burdened by us for long. I will ask Stark if he can house us while Loki heals," Thor said. "If he will not, then I shall ask a favor of SHIELD."

"No," Loki said vehemently. "If Stark agrees, then perhaps, but we will not go to SHIELD. I have stayed away from them this long, and I shall not let them find me now."

"Besides Stark, SHIELD is the only place with competent healers who would actually know how to help you. Stop being so stubborn."

"You really think I care about the competency of the healers? Even this is fine. I am healing already."

"Are you calling me incompetent?" I interjected, slightly insulted.

"No, of course not," Loki shook his head at me quickly, trying to correct his earlier words. "SHIELD barely let me go the first time. I doubt they will let me go a second."

"If we simply explain to them why we are here-"

"They are an organization of espionage and deception, Thor. They cannot be trusted," Loki said wryly.

"If you two get into a screaming match again, I am kicking you both out," I threatened.

"You need not worry, we will not fight again," Loki said, continuing to glare at Thor.

"Fine, then," Thor glared back. "I shall go to Stark and be back again within the hour with an answer." Thor left, picking the entire door up and placing it back from the other side.

"I guess that just leaves you and me," I sighed, closing my eyes and leaning back into the soft cushions. "How are you feeling?"

"Well enough, thank you." His weight shifted, so I took a peek and saw that he was relaxing back too.

"Good. You're a fast healer."

"That comes with being AEsir," he chuckled.

"You say that like I know what that means."

"Apologies, it is what the people of Asgard are called." I opened my eyes to see him smirking.

"Don't you smirk at me." I smacked his arm playfully, not being able to keep my own smirk off my face. Becoming a little more serious, I asked, "Is SHIELD the "they" you were talking about before? When you wouldn't go to the hospital?"

"Yes," he sighed, rubbing his face. "They have people and surveillance equipment everywhere. I cannot be too careful while I am here. Their leaders still want me executed."

"You hurt a lot of people the last time you were here," I said quietly, understanding why people would be after him.

It was terrifying when he attacked the city. I was almost shot multiple times, and was shot once. When the campus was under attack, only a few of us kept our heads and got everyone out. We were in the line of fire longest. Everyone was screaming. People were getting hurt and killed all around us. I still have nightmares.

"I know." He wouldn't look at me. "I am sorry for the pain I have caused. If I could go back and stop myself, I would."

"At least you're not a psychopath. You actually feel bad about it."

"What difference would that make? I still did it."

"It means all the difference! It means you're not a heartless killer. If you had a chance to fix this, you would. You just said so yourself." I turned to fully face him.

"Perhaps."

AN: Don't worry, this won't be the last you see of the Winchesters. As always, reviews are welcome. What do you guys think so far?


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"Stark's tower is still being rebuilt," Thor said the moment he walked in half an hour later, interrupting our conversation. "He does not think the workers would appreciate the one who destroyed the tower staying there. He will not mention your presence to SHIELD, though he suspects they already know you are here."

"I would be disappointed with them if they did not know I was here," Loki replied, shooting a glance at his brother in the doorway.

"You still refuse to ask a favor of SHIELD?"

"Yes."

"Then it looks like you two will be staying here for a while. I kind of thought of sleeping arrangements just in case. It's a big bed, so I figure you two can share it and I'll take the couch," I thought aloud.

"I am not sharing a bed with that oaf," Loki said haughtily.

"Really. Resorting to name calling. Are you ten?" I rolled my eyes at him and spoke before Thor could respond with more insults, "Fine, Thor, would you mind sleeping on the couch It's a pull out, so it gets bigger."

"I would not mind, so long as I have room."

"So, you and me are sharing the bed." I turned back to Loki. "Just warning you now, I kick sometimes." He just laughed and shook his head.

I glanced out the window and noticed for the first time how dark it had become. The clock said it was 5:53. "Damn, it's almost time for dinner. I hope you guys are okay with cheap soup. It's really all I can afford."

"We will eat it as long as you make a lot of it," Thor looked to Loki and they both chuckled.

"I want to put new bandages on and check to make sure nothing's getting infected." I was trying to tug Loki over to the couch. It was after dinner and we were all getting ready for bed. It had been a long day for everyone.

"My wounds are healing fine," Loki tried to placate me.

"See, I can't believe that unless I check. Oh, humor me," I added at the look on his face.

"Fine." He rolled his eyes at me and sat in the wheelie chair. He knew it would be harder for me to do this when he was sitting up. I'd have to rest my arms on his chest and shoulders more.

The glare I sent him to let him know I knew what he was doing was icy, but melted a little at the glint of a smile in his eyes. I ripped the medical tape off quickly, knowing it would sting more. I couldn't help it. I need a little pay back for everything.

His cuts were healing abnormally quickly. They were completely scabbed over and the edges were turning a light pink with new skin. My hand reached out without my telling it to and started to trace one of the faint pink lines on his chest.

I cleared my throat and tried to hide my embarrassment. "Sorry, it's just amazing how quick these are healing up." I refused to meet his eyes. The wounds seemed fine, but I cleaned them anyway before I taped more gauze to them eager to have this done with. "Okay, done. I'll let you know when you can come in." I let myself glance at his face, and it looked like he was almost confused. The expression was gone in a second. It almost made me think I hadn't seen it.

With the door shut behind me, I checked to see that there were two pillows on the bed before changing into my most covering flannel pajamas. I didn't want them to think I was a slut or something. "Comfy, Thor?" I asked when I popped back out.

"Comfy?" Thor looked so confused it was adorable.

"Short for comfortable," I explained, fighting not to laugh.

"Ah, yes, quite. It is taking some time for me to learn Midgardian slang. You may have to explain some things."

"I'll remember that," I laughed, unable to hold it back anymore. "You can come in now, Loki. If you try anything, you might not wake up tomorrow," I threatened as we walked back to my room. Living in New York City can make you paranoid about things like that.

"You need not worry about that. I would not stain your honor." He was careful not to even brush against me as we climbed into the queen bed, him closest to the door.

"Goodnight," I whispered.

"Goodnight."

_Blue lights were shooting from the ends of spears. People were falling next to us. There was so much blood. The light was fading from the girl's eyes. She couldn't stop the bleeding. "Keep running! Get to the lower levels!" Keep everyone else alive. Duck. Push someone forward. That is what this day had come to. The campus was in ruins. People were dead. Friends were dead. Keep running. Don't let the aliens get you. Not a thought I would have had before. Forced to leave the fallen behind. More shots fired. There was a sharp pain in my right shoulder. Someone laughed._

I gasped as I sat up before remembering I wasn't alone. The tears came as my shoulder throbbed from the injury.

"Are you alright?" The voice was low and soothing in the darkness. It took a moment to realize it was Loki.

"Fine," I croaked, my throat raw from the held back sobs. I coughed before trying again. "Fine."

The weight on the mattress shifted as he sat up and tried to find me. "No, you are not. The crack in your voice betrays you." There was not a hint of the smirk that usually adorned his face.

"Yeah, well, I guess I would generally be freaked when I've just had a nightmare." I rubbed the tears from my cheeks and said under my breath, "Again."

"You don't sound as shocked as you would if it was a new nightmare. You've had this one before," he guessed. His hands found mine and turned me to face him. I refused to answer. "You dream of the day I attacked." I tried to pull away. He was figuring this out too quickly.

He pulled me closer instead of letting go, and wrapped his arms around me, whispering, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for what I have done to you."

I could feel the water works coming again and tried to move, but I was so tired. Of everything, so I rested my head on his shoulder and cried. He rubbed my back and stroked my hair, not saying a word, just letting me get it all out.

"I wish to the gods I'd refused those bastards," he whispered into my hair once my eyes were dry.

"What did they do to make you say yes?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"They tortured me. And I broke far too easily. Though, I suppose that is my pride speaking."

"I'm sorry." I tentatively wrapped my arms around his waist.

"How long has it been since I attacked that the city is still recovering?"

"It's only been a little over a month."

"Then there is a much greater time difference than I thought." He sounded troubled.

"What-"

"How many days, exactly, has it been?"

"Um," it took a moment to think, "forty three days, I think."

"Then for each day you lived here, I endured a year there," he said, almost to himself.

"But, that's impossible!" It was getting harder to remember to keep my voice down. "You look the same age as you did a month ago."

"Well, it's hard to explain," he sighed.

"Try me."

He took a moment before answering. "The Chitauri's leader is a Titan called Thanos," he started slowly. "He has the ability to change time. Either time truly moved at that speed, or he made it so in my mind. Either way, I experienced it all the same. Another ability that comes with being AEsir: we age slowly, so it is difficult to say what really occurred."

"How long did they have you the first time?"

"A year in your time."

"But-"

_CRASH_

The noise startled me so badly, I flew to the other side of the bed, tumbled off screaming, and landed on my bad shoulder. My lights flickered on, causing me to shield my eyes from the sudden brightness, and showed people with guns in all black filing into my room. Loki had his back pressed against the wall next to me.

This was too much. Too much had happened this past day, and it was starting to piss me off. "Who the hell do you people think you are?!" I shouted, standing up. "You can't just come barging in here!"

"The door was open," one of them smirked. Oddly enough, he had a bow, not a gun.

"It's broken, there's a difference." I didn't' seem to find it as funny as he did.

"Barton! What is the meaning of this?" Thor pushed through the swarm of ninja imposters.

"Oh, hey, Thor. So you're the sleeping giant." Barton gave the barest of glances to Thor. His eyes, and arrow, were trained on Loki.

"Ah, Agent Barton, the Hawk. Pleasure to see you again." Loki was terrified, I could see it in his eyes, but he tried to write it off with cynicism.

"You guys know these people?" I looked between the Asgardians, waiting for an answer.

"They helped us in our battle against the Chitauri," Thor said vaguely.

"You have now had the pleasure of meeting a few key agents of SHIELD," Loki said, more helpfully.

"Why is SHIELD in my apartment?"

"We thought our radar picked up on Loki's magic, turns out we were right," Barton said distantly, a sour look on his face.

"And you seem so happy to have found me," Loki mocked.

"Thor," a redheaded woman brought herself forward, handgun carefully aimed at us, "why didn't you tell us you were coming back with him?"

"This was not a planned visit, Agent Romanov," Thor said respectfully. "I would appreciate it if all of you would cease threatening my brother. He is injured and can do no harm.

"That would explain all the gauze. Stand down," Romanov ordered. Each agent lowered their weapons, if unwillingly. Especially Barton. She nodded at another agent. "Take him."

AN: Sorry about the delayed update. It totally slipped my mind on Friday. Reviews are welcome, as always. Am I getting their personalities right?


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

I sidestepped in front of Loki. "You're not taking him. Like Thor said, he's hurt. He can't travel."

"That's not our concern." Romanov was emotionless as she said this. I narrowed my eyes at her. How could she be so heartless?

"Natasha," Thor lightly touched her arm. "He will only be recovering here a few days more. Then we will return to Asgard."

"You know we have to follow orders," she said quietly.

I could practically see the war behind Thor's eyes. "If you take him, I will come as well."

"We wouldn't expect anything else." She nodded at the agent again.

"Am I just being ignored?" I exclaimed.

"Yes." Barton didn't even look at me.

The agent roughly shoved me aside, using my injured shoulder of course. Why was it always that shoulder? I clutched at it, crying out, causing everyone to stare at me.

"I didn't push you that hard," the agent said cynically.

"I fought when the Chitauri attacked, and I got hurt. Simple," I explained in a high pitched voice, holding back a whimper.

"That was over a month ago." I didn't see who said that.

"It didn't heal right, okay? What does it matter to you?" Now I was getting defensive. These people didn't need to know about me.

"Why would you risk fighting them?" Barton asked.

"People were dying! I couldn't just stand by and watch!"

"Sounds like Rodgers." Romanov rolled her eyes.

"You're not normal, are you?" Barton looked at me strangely.

"That is a very opinionated question. And a rude one, at that." I glared at him.

He stared for a moment longer before saying, "Take her too. She won't let us leave quietly unless we do."

An agent rushed me and twisted my arms behind me, much like Sam had done earlier. I was too surprised to fight back. They started to lead us to the knocked down door before I gathered my senses again. "Um, barefoot." I nodded at my feet. My agent followed me back in the room and I managed to slip the paper with the number on it in my shoe before I put it on without them noticing. At least, I was pretty sure they hadn't noticed.

The group brought us to a line of black sedans. "Because this isn't conspicuous at all," I muttered, earning a smirk from a strangely silent Loki. They put Thor, Loki, and I into the biggest with Barton and Romanov in the front. We barely fit with Thor in there.

"It's a long drive," Barton called back from the driver's seat. "Sleep if you can. We won't shoot you."

"Well that's comforting." I rolled my eyes.

Thor was asleep in no time. His deep breathing was audible in the silence of the car. Loki and I kept shooting glares at each other from across Thor. His telling me I was an idiot for getting myself brought along. Mine telling him he was an idiot for egging them on while we still had the chance to get them to go away. Neither of us was gaining any ground in our silent argument. It seemed curiosity wasn't the only thing we had in common.

The cars stopped outside a warehouse. This was where they were planning on keeping us? Or, were they just going to kill Loki despite Thor being there and kill me because I was a witness?

The three of us exited the car, Thor having the most trouble because of his bulky armor. I realized with regret that Loki's armor was back at my apartment.

"Bringing us to an abandoned warehouse. How cliché." I tried to hide my tension through sarcasm. It usually worked in school, except my voice shook a little.

"Only if we were going to shoot you out back," Barton smirked and his eyes told me he heard my voice shake.

"Or torture us inside," I pointed out.

"You have seen way too many bad spy movies," Romanov said as she walked past.

The agents gathered around us, forming a circular barrier between the three of us and the real world. Thor was up front, not having to worry about anything. He was an Avenger. They couldn't do anything to him. Loki and I were another matter. He was a prisoner of war and I was a nuisance. We stayed close to Thor and walked with our arms brushing.

The room we walked into was not what I was expecting. I thought it would be empty with a few chairs, like in the bad spy movies I actually did watch. It was bustling, with huge computer screens everywhere. Not a single person paid any attention to us. They were all in what I decided was the standard black SHIELD uniform.

They brought us through the main room and down a long hallway with nothing on the walls. It was like one of those nightmares where you walk down a long hallway and the end never comes. Loki was starting to drag his feet. He wasn't as recovered as he was putting off. I wrapped my arm around his back and murmured, "Put your arm on my shoulders and lean on me."

"I don't need to," he whispered back.

"Yes, you do. Pretend that you're comforting me if that'll help your pride any," I said sardonically. "I'm freaking out right now anyway."

He sighed before leaning his frail weight on my shoulders.

We stopped at an intersection. In front of us, the hallway continued a few yards more before sloping to the right. The left hallway held a few people standing around what looked like solid metal doors without doorknobs. The right hallway went down a while before sloping left.

"Where do we go from here, Agent Romanov?" Loki asked. His face was pale and covered in a fine layer of sweat. He needed to lie down, or at least sit for a while.

"You get to check out your new room," she answered.

"Did you rebuild Banner's cage?" Loki smiled maliciously. He was acting bipolar, now.

"We no longer need a holding cell, for his tantrums, or you." An agent brought a pair of shackles forward. "Remember these? They seemed to work quite well before."

Loki laughed. "You mean to bind my magic with those?" His face darkened. "Then you should know they will not work. My magic is already bound. A small parting gift the Chitauri left me with."

"Why would we believe the Chitauri would do that?" Romanov asked skeptically.

"I may have been leading them, but they were certainly not following me."

"The Chitauri have another leader?" she picked up on that in an instant.

"Now you are looking deeper," he smirked.

"Who do they answer to?"

"Oh, I plan to tell you. All in good time."

"Answer her question." Barton stepped forward, his bow out. He held an arrow inches from Loki's face. I flinched back, but Loki held his place, glaring at the arrow tip.

"I don't threaten," he said simply.

Barton was about to reply when Thor said, "Enough!" moving to defend his brother.

Barton withdrew slowly as Romanov started speaking. "We'll know soon enough. Why don't I show you your new room?" She gripped his other arm and tugged. When he didn't budge, she said, "Don't you want to sit down? You look like you could use a rest."

"Looks can be deceiving." The arm around me tightened. Romanov's eyes darted to the movement.

"Oh, she's not going with you."

"Then, where am I going?" My grip around him tightened. This had turned into a nightmare. I didn't want to be alone. They wouldn't really separate us, would they?

"You will be coming this way," Barton grabbed above my elbow, easily pulling me away. I've never been all that strong, but lack of sleep really wasn't helping. I was sure the only reason I could hold Loki's weight before is because he was so emaciated.

"Why are you splitting us up?" my panic was showing through. Can't the tree of us at least stay in the same hallway?"

"How do you know Thor won't be going somewhere else?" Barton raised an eyebrow at me.

"Because he's staying near Loki." I tugged away a little. "Why do I have to go alone?"

"Sara, you will be safe with them." Thor tried to comfort me. It wasn't working well. "You can trust that no one will hurt you."

"Not really what I'm worried about, Thor." My voice was getting higher. I was starting to have a panic attack. "Maybe I don't want to be alone in this place."

Romanov and Barton shared a meaningful look before Barton nodded and started dragging me down the hallway. I yelped and looked over my shoulder to see Thor helping Loki into a room.

"Would you relax?" Barton drew my attention back as we rounded the turn.

"No. I've just been kidnapped and taken away from the only people I even slightly know."

"You and I both know you would have tried to come anyway."

"I'm pleading the fifth on that."

"Why are you trying to protect him anyway? He doesn't deserve it."

"Everyone deserves to be helped. I have plenty of reasons not to help him, but I'm trying to be a better person than that. He can't protect himself, he won't. He almost let someone kill him before. I don't think Thor even knows some of the things Loki's been through."

"Oh, but you do?" he asked skeptically.

"Actually, yes. He told me some things when Thor was out." _And when we was trying to comfort me._

"Why would he tell you anything?"

"He sounded like he needed to get things off his chest. It's hard keeping things bottled up, you know?"

"You said he almost let someone kill him before. Do you know who they are?" He changed the subject, not so subtly.

"Is this an interrogation?"

"Not really, no. But, I'm still expecting an answer."

"I don't know who they were, then."

"Why don't I believe you?"

"You're paranoid?" I sniped. "It would seem like an occupational hazard."

"Don't use that tone with me, kid. You've gotten yourself into some serious trouble."

"What are you, my dad? And why must everyone insist on calling me a kid? Seriously, I'm twenty-two!"

He sighed in response and pulled me to a stop at a door. "This'll be your room for a while. If you need anything, I'll be in that one." He pointed to a door directly across the hall. His finger moved to a camera in the ceiling. "You leave your room, and not come to mine, I'll know."

"So, you're just going to sit in there and watch an empty hallway?"

"Something like that. Oh, and expect visitors. I'm not the only one who'll be asking questions." He opened the door and gestured for me to go in, closing it the moment I was in.

The room was pretty small, a little bigger than the kitchenette in my apartment. There was a door to the left, leading into what looked like a bathroom. There was a small dresser on the wall to the right and what looked like a hospital bed across from me. There wasn't a clock in sight. _This is going to be torture._

AN: Again, sorry for the late post, life has been hectic. What do you guys think? I've noticed that I'm kinda losing views. Is there anything you guys would want me to change or add in? Anything to make my writing better? Reviews are welcome. I always want to know what you guys think or have to say.


	7. Chapter 7

I had explored every nook and cranny of the room and was starting to vegetate on the bed from boredom when the door finally opened. It was Barton, and he looked very annoyed.

"What'd I do now?" I asked, sitting up.

"Just come with me." He grabbed my arm roughly and pulled me back the way we came earlier.

"Um, ow." I tugged my arm free, inspecting it for bruises. "And the reason for this is?"

"Loki started flipping shit about something, and no one can calm him down. Not even Thor. It's like he's having a PTSD episode or something. You said he told you some things, so you're going to try to fix him, before he hurts more agents."

"He's attacked people?" I asked incredulously. "He can't be strong enough to do much damage."

"Yeah, he keeps sending them into walls if they get too close. Apparently, he is strong enough."

"And you're sending me in there? What makes you think he won't do the same to me? And just because he told me some stuff, doesn't mean I know what to do about it!"

"You seem to be witty. I'm sure you'll figure something out."

Thor, Romanov, and a few other agents were standing outside what I guessed was Loki's door, worried looks on their faces.

Thor noticed me first and said, "They seem to believe you can help my brother. What do you know of that he has not told me?"

"I'll tell you after I calm him down." I really didn't want to tell Thor about his brother being tortured for hundreds of years, so I would prolong it as much as possible.

The room I walked into was only slightly larger than mine. There was an overturned table and some chairs in addition to the bed. Loki was backed into a corner, his eyes wide and terrified. They kept darting around like he was surrounded. The door clicked shut behind me.

"Loki, you need to calm down," I said, tentatively walking forward. "No one is going to hurt you. We're only trying to help." I tried to keep my voice low and clam.

"You're only trying to help? he sneered derisively, hi eyes still afraid. "And why would you do that? I won't let you take me. I won't go back there!"

"No one is taking you anywhere. Snap out of it!" Being patient wasn't going to work for me. I stayed back, having noticed the slight dents in the walls.

"Are you honestly trying to lie to the God of Lies?" His eyes had lost all fear. He was getting pissed, or going insane. Either way, he was getting off the wall and walking towards me. "I know you are one of them. You can't fool me, shape shifter!" He broke a leg off a chair and swung it at me in one movement. I barely had time to move away.

"No, Loki! It's me, Sara! Remember?" Duck. Twist. Run. Duck. Run. This was turning into that day all over again, especially when I was running from the same person. "Help! I need some help in here!"

I looked towards the door as I called for help, and was sent into a wall for distracting myself.

My terrified blue eyes met Loki's malicious green ones. He looked evil, demented. He wasn't himself. He drew back the arm holding the chair leg.

The door finally opened as the leg went through my shoulder, into the wall. Loki took on a confused then horrified expression as I screamed, wanting to drop from the pain but keeping myself tense to keep from hurting my shoulder more.

Thor went to rip the leg out, but Barton stopped him with the simple words, "She'll bleed out."

Romanov was speaking into an invisible earpiece. Agents were about to attack Loki, and Thor yelled at him. The noises and the scene in front of me were blurring and fading. My shoulder flared as someone slid me forward on the leg. I thought it was Barton.

Everything stopped.

"Brain waves say she's waking up," a new voice murmured.

"You're scanning my brain? I was stabbed, not hit over the head," I croaked. "Can I get some water?" My eyes cracked open to stark brightness. Typical hospital room.

"It was a precaution. No one else was with you, so we had to assume." The doctor pushed a table with a glass over, which I downed in seconds. "I'm Dr. Banner by the way."

"How bad is my shoulder?" I really looked at him for the first time. He seemed to be in his thirties and had glasses.

"It's bad. That wasn't a blade that went in there. The muscle's pretty torn up, not to mention the bones. And," he paused, giving me a weird look, "there was some older damage."

"That's from the attack last month."

"It didn't seem to heal up very nicely. Why didn't you have someone look at it?"

"I did, it was just after the healing process had started. That's how it was explained to me. Other people were more hurt than I was, so I figured I could wait. I could tell it wasn't healing right after a week or so, but they said it was too late, so I dealt with it."

"That's a shame," he sighed. "I'm going to be honest with you. I don't know how well your shoulder is going to heal. You might not be able to use your arm anymore, or at least as well as you used to. I'm sorry, but I just don't know."

I nodded and looked away, noticing for the first time, someone sitting quietly in the corner, looking depressed.

"What are you doing here, Agent Barton?" I asked quietly.

"This was my fault."

"I'd have to agree with that," I said, not unkindly.

"I'm sorry."

I nodded and looked around the room, absentmindedly rubbing my shoulder. It was a normal, single-bed hospital room, though I doubted they'd brought me to a real hospital.

"Are we still in the warehouse?" I asked.

"Yes," Dr. Banner answered. "Not in the best of conditions, but it works for emergencies. I should go tell everyone you're alright."

"Who's everyone?" I glanced at the door.

"You'll see." Dr. Banner opened the door. "You guys can come in. She's awake and coherent."

Agent Romanov, Thor, and a black man with an eye patch I didn't recognize came in.

"How are you feeling, Sara?" Thor asked with his booming voice.

"I'm okay. Shoulder's starting to throb a little though."

"I'll give you some more morphine." Dr. Banner injected what I hoped was morphine into an IV.

The man I didn't recognize stepped forward and said, "I'm Director Fury. I apologize for my agents putting you in danger, but I will need to ask you some questions."

"Okay, shoot," I said quickly.

"Great word choice," Fury responded, raising the eyebrow over the eye.

I winced, "Well, don't shoot me. Anyway, you said you had questions, so go ahead and ask. But, if I don't want to answer, I won't."

"Fair enough. How did you come to meet the Asgardian, Loki?"

"I was reading in the park, and he magically appeared, covered in blood," I shrugged. "Crap, I forgot my book out there! Ugh," I groaned. "What, it was my favorite one," I said in response to the strange look he gave me.

"I see. And no one noticed you bringing this bloody man through the streets of New York City?"

"No one tried to stop us." I didn't bother trying to lie. The morphine was taking effect and I figured spies could at least tell when someone was lying. My heart rate sped up a little though at the hidden truth, and it was heard on the monitor.

"But someone did see you."

"I would assume a lot of people saw us." The bed was starting to feel very comfortable as my brain worried about SHIELD finding out about the hunters. Their names wouldn't come to mind though. The morphine was acting fast.

"Fury, she needs to rest," Dr. Banner said quietly.

"And I need some answers. She's been asleep for six hours, I think she can stay awake for a few more minutes," Fury argued.

"I agree with the doctor," I mumbled. My eyes were drifting shut.

Right before I fell asleep, I heard Romanov say, "What should we do? He still wants to see her."

AN: Hello my lovely readers. I'm going to move my updating day to Saturday, seeing as that's what I've been able to do lately. Fridays have become very busy. So, what do you guys think of this chapter? The story overall? Questions and reviews are always welcome.


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